Concrete form liner

ABSTRACT

A liner assembly for attaching to a structural concrete form to provide a desired texture to concrete walls and columns, including multiple form liner elements constructed to be snapped together and attached to the structural form. Each of the elements is trough shaped, with an inner wall and pair of side walls, one of the side walls having a flange with a first hook at its end, and the other side wall having a second hook and a retainer near the second hook. The form liner elements can be snapped together, with the first hook of one element retained between the second hook and retainer of another form liner element, and the flanges of each of the elements can be nailed or otherwise fastened to the structural form. The interlocking elements allow an architect to vary the wall texture or pattern at selected areas, such as at doorways, and facilitates reuse of the liners because they can be taken apart and reassembled to any desired wall size, the interlocking feature preventing leakage of concrete between the liner elements.

United States Patent 11 1 Dashew 1 May 20, 1975 CONCRETE FORM LINERPrimary Examiner-Robert L.. Spicer, Jr.

Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Lindenberg, Freilich, [75] Inventor. gtgliithen S. Dashew, Los Angeles, Wasserman, Rose & Fernandez [73]Assignee: lnterform lnc., Compton, Calif.

[57] ABSTRACT [22] Filed: Aug. 8, 1973 A liner assembly for attaching toa structural concrete [2]] App! 386487 form to provide a desired textureto concrete walls R l d U5, A li i D and columns, including multipleform liner elements [62] Division of Sef. N01 206.686, Dec. 10, 1971,Pm. N0. colstructed be snapped togethe and attfched 3780977- thestructural form. Each of the elements 15 trough shaped, with an innerwall and pair of side walls, one 52 us. (:1. 249/112; 52/588; 249/15; ofthe Side Walls having a flange with a first hook at its 249/99; 249/192;264/35 end, and the other side wall having a second hook and 511 1m. c1E04g 11/08; 32% 7/00 a retainer heat the Seeettd heek- T f [58] Field ofSearch 52/588; 264/35; 249/15, "tents can be snapped together, Wtth thefirst hook of 249/112 192 98, 99 176 one element retained between thesecond hook and v retainer of another form liner element, and theflanges [56] References Cited of each of tlhe elements loin be n zligled or otlheiwise fillstened to t e structura orm. e inter oc ing e e-UNITED STATES PATENTS merits allow an architect to vary the wall textureor 2,261,247 11/1941 Girard 249/112 pattern at selected areas, Such asat doorways, and et 32 cilitates reuse of the liners because they can betaken 5 12/1969 X apart and reassembled to any-desired wall size, thein- 3:605:363 9/1971 Bard I 52/588 X terlocking feature preventingleakage of concrete be- 3,634,892 1/1972 Rains 52/588 x R tween the hhetelements- 3,664630 5/1972 Maynen et al. 249/112 3759.007 9/1975 Thiele52/588X 3 4 D'awmg Ftgutes CONCRETE FORM LINER This is a division, ofapplication Ser. No. 206,688 now U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,971 filed Dec. 10,1971.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to concrete forms,and more particularly to liner apparatus for attachment to concreteforms to provide a desired texture or pattern to finished concrete.

Exposed concrete surfaces, such as those of concrete walls and columnsthat are at the front of a building or in the lobby, are often providedwith an attractive texture or pattern. This is accomplished by utilizingordinary structural forms that hold in the concrete and withstand itsweight, and by applying form liners to inner surfaces of the structuralform. Such form liners have often been fabricated aslarge sheets ofplastic with corrugations or other patterns, and the sheets have beenfastened by nails or the like to the structural form. Where standardform liner sheets are employed, many of such sheets may be utilized, andsome of them may have to be cut to fit into the area of concrete to bepatterned. Special efforts must be taken to seal the regions whereadjacent sheets abut one another to prevent the leakage of concretebetween them.

After the form liner sheets are used, they can be removed and reused.However, it is often difficult to reuse those sheets which havbeen cutto size because the installation of a patchwork of sheet sections mayresult in considerable additional labor in sealing the edges where thesheet sections abut. Architects are sometimes reluctant to specifychanges of texture at selected regions, such as at doorways, because achange in texture along a limited region can result in the need forconsiderable cutting of sheets and sealing of their edges. Form linerapparatus that reduced the amount of cutting to size and the amount ofedge sealing, and which enabled the maximum reuse of the liners, wouldreduce the cost of constructing decorative concrete and providearchitects with greater latitude in design.-

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention, form liner apparatus is provided which facilitatesthe fabrication of complete concrete forms, particularlywhere a varietyof different patterns and textures are utilized, and which enables thegreater reuse of the liner apparatus. The form liner apparatus includesnumerous form liner elements that are designed to be readily snappedtogether in a manner that provides a leak-proof joint between elements.Each liner element has a trough shaped portion with an inner wall thatlies spaced from the structural form and a pair of side walls thatextend towards the structural form. A first of the side walls has asidewardly extending flange fastened to the structural form and having afirst hook at its end. A second of the side walls has a second hookextending towards the other side wall and has a retainer lying near thesecond hook. The elements are assembled by snapping the first hook ofone liner element between the second hook and retainer of another linerelement, the interlocking hooks and retainer serving'to hold theelementstightly together so that concrete cannot leak into the space betweenthem.

The flanges of the liner elements are fixed to the structural form bynails or screws that can be later removed. After concrete is poured andsets, the structural form with the liner elements thereon can be removedfrom the concrete and the elements can be removed from the structuralform and from each other. The fact that each of the liners has only asmall width, sometimes being only one corrugation wide, as compared toprevious sheet-like liners, means that there is a minimum of cutting tosize and therefore that the liner elements can be readily reused. Thefact that the elements can be readily snapped together means that thebulding up'of a form liner apparatus to the desired size can be readilyaccomplished. Provisions can be readily made for changes in the textureand pattern of the finished concrete at selected regions, by using linerelements that define different textures or patterns.

The novel features of the invention are set forth with particularity inthe appended claims. The invention will be best understood from thefollowing description when read in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a partial prospective viewof a building with a textured concrete Wall constructed in accordancewith the invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial prospective view of a form assembly for constructingthe building of FIG. 1, showing the structural form and a plurality ofform liner elements installed thereon, being used to form concrete;

FIG. 3 is a sectional end view of a pair of form liner elements of theapparatus of FIG. 2, showing, the manner in which they can be snappedtogether; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a form liner element constructed inaccordance with another embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 illustrates a buildingwith a concrete wall region 10 that has a corrugation pattern thereon.FIG. 2 illustrates a form assembly that can be utilized to form thecorrugation pattern, the assembly including a structural form 12 ofthick wood sheets that may be held in place by various bracing members(not shown) to withstand the weight of poured concrete 13, and a formliner assembly 14 attached to an inner face 16 of the structural form.The formliner assembly defines the texture or pattern of the finishedconcrete.

The form liner assembly 14 includes a series of form liner elements suchas those shown at 18 and 20 in FIG. 3, that can be easily snappedtogether to cover an extended area, and which can be readily snappedapart for storage after use. The elements 18 and 20 are simiside walls24, 26 that extend outwardly, that is, with a directional componentparallel to the outward direction indicated by the arrow 0 towards thesupport surface 16. A first of the side walls 26 has a sidewardlyextending flange 28 that extends from an outer end of the side wall in adirection away from the other side wall 24. The flange 28 can befastened to the structural form 12 by a nail 30 or other detachablefastener means. A

first hook 32 extending away from the support surface 16, is formed atan end of the flange 28. The second side wall 24 of the form has a hook34 at its end, which lies a distance 1 from the support surface 16, thehook 34 extending sidewardly toward the first side wall 26. An L-shapedretainer 36 is also provided which extends to a position spacedsidewardly from the second book 34 on a side thereof nearest the firstwall 26.

The form liners 18 and 20 are assembled by snapping the first hook 32 ofthe form 18 into a position where it is engaged with the second hook 34aof the element 20 and is held in the engaged position by the retainer36a of the element 20. The form liner elements 18, 20 are constructed ofa material which is at least partially resilient, such asresin-impregnated fiberglass or polyvinylchloride plastic, so that theretainer 36a can deflect while receiving the second hook 32, and theretainer 36a then resiliently holds the hook 32 between itself and thehook 34a. The spacing of the second hook 34a from the-retainer 36a issmall enough to assure such resilient holding. The engagement of theform liners provides a joint that prevents the leakage of concretebetween the elements, and that does not appear as a joint.

The form liner elements can be assembled on the structural form 12 in anumber of ways. One way is to install a first element such as element18, fasten its flange 28 to the structural form by nails or the like,snap the second element 20 into place on the first element and attachits flange 28a to the structural form, and so forth. The elements can beconstructed so that the undeflected distance t between the second hookof an element and the support surface 16 is slightly less than thethickness of a flange 28. When the elements are snapped together andinstalled on the structural form 12, the second wall such as wall 24a ispushed or deflected inwardly a slight amount sufficient to help assuresealing against theleakag'e of concrete between the flange 28 and thesecond hook 34a, so that the concrete forms an attractive cornerconfiguration thereat.

After the series of form elements are assembled on the structural form12, concrete is poured into the form assembly and allowed to set. Afterthe concrete sets at leastpartially, the form assembly is removedtherefrom and the form liner elements are removed from the structuralform and unsnapped from each other. The elements then can be stored forfuture use.

In fabricating the form liner assembly, it is necessary that the lengthof the form liners equal the length of the region to be patterned in theconcrete. Accordingly,

some of the form liner elements may have to be cut to size. However,less cutting is involved in the present invention where only the ends ofelements have to be cut, than in those cases where sheets of materialhave to be out which results in cutting being performed along the widthas well as along the length. Furthermore, where elements are cut only inlength, it is generally easier to reuse them, as compared to the case ofsheets of form liner material that have been cut in width as well aslength.

In fabricating a form liner assembly, it may be necessary to install twoor more liner elements end-to-end to cover a very long region. Thisrequires that sealing against concrete leakage be performed where theends of the elements abut one another. However, this results in lesssealing than is required in a case where the sides The utilization ofnumerous from liner elements that can be readily snapped togetherfacilitates the creation of variety in the design of a concrete surface.All of the form liner elements of a series are constructed so that thehooks fit into the space between the second book and retainer of otherelements sothat any of them can be snapped together. However, differenttypes of elements of a series can have very different textures and canbe utilized to create different patterns at different regions of a wall.It is economical to provide even small regions of a special pattern,such as around a window or doorway, by utilizing a fewelements of thespecial pattern, which does not require cutting up of a large sheet.

Although the form liner elements can have elongated narrow shapes ofconstant cross-section, it is possible to utilize wide elements atselected regions. FIG. 4 illustrates a wider element 50 that can coveran extended area, and which still can be readily snapped to other formliner elements. The element 50 has a flange 52 and first hook 54 of asize that enables it to snap into other elements of a series, while thesecond hook 56 and retainer 58 of the element 50 enables it to readilycapture the first hook of another form liner element. All form linerelements of the series have hooks of the same size to enable any elementof the series to be snapped into engagement with any other element ofthe series.

Thus, the invention provides form liner apparatus which can be rapidlyinstalled and removed from a structural concrete form, and whichminimizes the amount of cutting and sealing of abutting joints,maximizes the reuse of the form liner apparatus, and facilitates the useof a variety of different surface patterns and textures. This isaccomplished by the utilization of form liner elements with portionsthat can be readily snapped together and taken apart. Each of theelements has an inner wall and a pair of side walls, a first of the sidewalls having a flange for attachment to a structural form and a firsthook at the end of the flange. The second side wall has a second hook atits end for capturing the first hook of another element in a joint thatis tight against the seepage of concrete. A retainer near the secondhook of each element assures the retention, between its second hook andretainer, of a first hook of another element. The form liner elementsare of substantially constant cross section along their length, so thatthey can be fabricated by extrusion to enable their production at lowcost.

Although particular embodiments of the invention have been described andillustrated herein, it is recognized that modifications and variationsmay readily occur to those skilled in the art and, consequently, it isintended that the claims be interpreted to cover such modifications andequivalents.

What is claimed is:

l. A concrete form liner comprising:

a plurality of trough-shapedelements of substantially constantcross-section each having an inner wall and first and second outwardlyextending side walls, said first side wall having a flange extendingsidewardly away from said second side wall and having a first hook atits end, and said second side wall having a first hook at its end, andsaid second side wall having a second hook at its outer end extendingtowards said first side wall so that said elements can be heldtogetherwith a first hook on one of said elements engaged with the second hookof another of said elements;

each of said trough-shaped elements including a retainer wall (36) witha portion spaced from said second hook of the same element by a distancesufficient to engage and maintain therebetween the first hook on anotherelement.

2. A concrete form liner comprising: a trough-shaped element having aninner wall and first and second outwardly extending side walls, saidfirst side wall having a flange extending sidewardly away from saidsecond side wall and having a first hook at its end, and said secondside wall having a second hook at its outer end extending towards saidfirst side wall, said element also having a retainer comprising a wallfixed to said second side wall and lying between the side walls andspaced a predetermined distance from the second hook, so that saidelement can be held to another similar element with a first hook on oneelement engaged between the second hook and retainer of the otherelement.

3. A concrete form liner for attachment to a flat support surfacecomprising:

a plurality of interfitting trough-shaped elements of substantiallyconstant cross-section each having an inner wall (22) and first andsecond outwardly extending side walls, said first side wall (26) havinga substantially fiat flange (28) extending in a direction sidewardlyaway from said second side wall (24) and having an inwardly extendingpart atthe end of the flange which is received between the side walls ofanother element at a location against the second side wall (24a) of theother element, the second side wall (24a) of the other element having anouter end which lies against said flat flange to form an intersectionthat is substantially sealed to the passage of concrete between saidflange and side wall outer end and that is exposed to mold concrete intoan attractive corner configuration;

each of said trough-shaped elements including a retainer wall (36)located between the side walls with a portion spaced from the: outer endof the second side wall of the same element by a distance sufficient toengage and maintain therebetween the inwardly-extending part of anotherelement.

1. A concrete form liner comprising: a plurality of trough-shapedelements of substantially constant cross-section each having an innerwall and first and second outwardly extending side walls, said firstside wall having a flange extending sidewardly away from said secondside wall and having a first hook at its end, and said second side wallhaving a first hook at its end, and said second side wall having asecond hook at its outer end extending towards said first side wall sothat said elements can be held together with a first hook on one of saidelements engaged with the second hook of another of said elements; eachof said trough-shaped elements including a retainer wall (36) with aportion spaced from said second hook of the same element by a distancesufficient to engage and maintain therebetween the first hook on anotherelement.
 2. A concrete form liner comprising: a trough-shaped elementhaving an inner wall and first and second outwardly extending sidewalls, said first side wall having a flange extending sidewardly awayfrom said second side wall and having a first hook at its end, and saidsecond side wall having a second hook at its outer end extending towardssaid first side wall, said element also having a retainer comprising awall fixed to said second side wall and lying between the side walls andspaced a predetermined distance from the second hook, so that saidelement can be held to another similar element with a first hook on oneelement engaged between the second hook and retainer of the otherelement.
 3. A concrete form liner for attachment to a flat supportsurface comprising: a plurality of interfitting trough-shaped elementsof substantially constant cross-section each having an inner wall (22)and first and second outwardly extending side walls, said first sidewall (26) having a substantially flat flange (28) extending in adirection sidewardly away from said second side wall (24) and having aninwardly extending part at the end of the flange which is receivedbetween the side walls of another element at a location against thesecond side wall (24a) of the other element, the second side wall (24a)of the other element having an outer end which lies against said flatflange to form an intersection that is substantially sealed to thepassage of concrete between said flange and side wall outer end and thatis exposed to mold concrete into an attractive corner configuration;each of said trough-shaped elements including a retainer wall (36)located between the side walls with a portion spaced from the outer endof the second side wall of the same element by a distance sufficient toengage and maintain therebetween the inwardly-extending part of anotherelement.